Football jersey having hand-holds



Dec. `26, 1961 D.T.CORBETT FOOTBALL JERSEY HAVING HAND-HOLDS Filed Sept.26, 1958 UVVENTOR. DONALD T. Conga-r1- AT voran EYS Pff 3,014,219-FOTBALL JERSEY HAVING HAND-HOLDS Donaid T. Corbett, 4766 W. HarrisonSt., Chicago 44, Ill. Filed Sept. 26, 1958, Ser. No. 763,631 2 Claims.(Cl. 2 90) This invention re-lates to an improved football jersey havinghand-hold means.

The primary object of the invention is to provide handhold means onfootball jerseys arranged to be grasped by the hands of offensiveblockers While blocking so that neither of the hands is free todeliberately or inadvertently and illegally grasp and hold defensiveplayers, so that holding penalties are prevented.

Another object of the invention is to provide hold-hand means of thecharacter indicated above, which are preferably in the form of straps,and which are detachably secured to a foot-ball jersey so that they willbecome detached from the jersey, if grasped and pulled by a tackler, sothat they cannot be availed of as handles in tackling or in holding thewearer of the jersey.

A further object of the invention is the provision of hand-hold strapsof the character indicated above which can be made in rugged andserviceable forms at relatively low cost, which do not add objectionablyto the overall cost of football jerseys, which do not interfere with thelaundering of the jersey, and which present no inconvenience or burdento a football player.

Other important objects and advantageous features ofv the invention willbe apparent from the following descrip tion and the accompanyingdrawings, wherein, for purposes of illustration only, a specific form ofthe invention is set forth in detail.

In the drawings:

FlGURE 1 is a perspective view of a football player grasping hand-holdmeans on a jersey in accordance with the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged front elevation of a jersey having hand-holdstraps thereon; and A FIGURE 3 is a further enlarged fragmentaryvertical transverse section taken on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 2.

Referring in detail to the drawings, wherein like numerals designatelike parts throughout the several views, the illustrated footballjersey, generally designated 10, shown being worn by a football player12 having hands 14, comprises a front panel 16 and is otherwiseconventionally formed. However, it is to be understood that the presentinvention contemplates any other form of football shirt or other garmentworn during play and having a front panel 16 across which the playershands 14 are placed, in offensive blocking position, with the elbows atthe sides. Also, the present invention contemplates any suitable form ofhand-hold means, to be grasped by the hands 14 in these positions, whichare detachably secured to a front panel 16, with suflicient security tohold the hands in these positions under playing conditions, but aredetachable from the panel 16 by a pull exerted thereon by an opposingplayer, strong enough to imbalance or throw the wearer of the handholdmeans.

As will be apparent from the drawing, the jersey has a closely-embracingbody portion which is adapted to extend from the neckline to below thewaistline, and on the front panel 16 of the body portion are a pair ofvertically-arranged laterally-spaced hand-hold straps 18, the strapsbeing positioned onv each side of the front rice panel and being of alength to'extend from the upper chest-covering portion of the front`panel to a point adjacent the waistline of the front panel. T'neystraps 18 are adapted to support the arms from the body of an athletewhen wearing the jersey and engaged in contest play.

The illustrated hand-hold means, generally designated 1S, comprises apair of similar, vertically elongated ilexible straps 20, which arepreferably made of such strong and washable material as army beltfabric. The straps 20 have end portions 22 which are turned over andsuitably secured, as indicated at 24, as by sewing to the back 26 of thestrap 20, as reinforcements at the ends of the effective lengths of thestraps 20, and as retaining and insulating means for the femalecomponents 28 of separable snap fasteners 30, which are securablyengageable with male components 32 secured to the jersey front panel 16.As shown in FIGURE 2, the straps 20 are preferably arranged parallel toeach other at side points of the panel 16 in the chest covering areathereof.

As shown in FIGURE 3, the female fastener components 28 having reducedShanks 34 which extend rearwardly through openings 36 provided in theturned over strap end portions 22, and have lateral annular flanges 3Sthereon which bear against the rear sides of the portions 22, inopposition to enlarged heads 40, on the forward ends of the shank 34,which are confined between the forward sides of the portions 22 and therear or back side 26 of the strap 20. Portions 42 of the strap 20conformably overlying the heads 4t) serve to insulate the heads 40 frominjurious and wearing external contacts and protect the heads 4l) duringlaundering or other cleaning of the straps 20. The Shanks 34 terminateat their rear ends in spring sockets 44 for securable reception of themale fastener components 32.

The male components 32 preferably comprise shanks 44 which extendthrough openings 46 and 4S provided Shanks 40 have enlarged flat heads54 on their rear ends,

which bear against the rear sides of the patches Si), enlarged flatcollars 56, which bear against the forward side of the fro-nt panel 16,and terminate at their forward ends in knobs 58 for engaging in thefemale component sockets 44. It will be understood that any othersuitable and adequate separable fastening means for securing the strapends to the front panel 16 are contemplated by the present invention.

With an offensive blockers hands 14 grasping the straps 20, as shown inFIGURE 1, the hands and the players arms and elbows are held in legaloffensive blocking positions, and the hands while so maintained are notfree to commit inadvertent offensive acts which can subject the playersteam to penalties. Further, the diiculty and fatigue involved inmaintaining correct offensive blocking positions of the hands, arms, andelbows are reduced.

Although there has been shown and described herein a preferred form ofthe invention, it is to be understood that the invention is notnecessarily confined thereto, and that any change or changes in thestructure of and in the relative arrangements of componentsV thereof arecontemplated as being within the scope ofthe invention as defined by theclaims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:

1.` A football jersey adapted Yto'be wornby an athlete When engaged incontest play and having a closelyembracing body portion adapted toextend from the neckline to below the waistline, said body portionhaving a front panel, a pair of vertically-arranged laterally-spacedhand-hold straps positioned on said iront panel on each side thereof andhaving their upper and lower ends secured to said panel, said strapsbeing of a length to extend from the upper chest-covering portion ofsaid front panel to a point adjacent the waistline oi said front paneland being adapted to support the arms from the body of an athlete whenwearing said jersey and engaged in contest play.

2. The jersey according to claim 1, whereinthe upper and lower ends ofsaid straps are releasably secured to said front panel.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSRosenstock Feb. 1S, 1890 Sperling Oct. 25, 1932 Caridis July 23, 1935Eisenberg July 19, 1949 Naftali Feb. 13, 1951 Roselle Aug. 8, 1958

